1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a home gateway apparatus that connects the Internet, which is an outside infrastructure, or wireless mobile communication terminals to a home network.
2. Description of Related Art
Recently, because of the progress in the Internet usage technologies, the Internet has been widely used not only in companies, but in home activities such as e-mail, Internet shopping, Internet phone, web search, etc. At home, a multiple of personal computers and peripheral devices can be connected to a network, so that a multiple of personal computers can share the same peripheral devices.
Home gateway apparatuses have also been invented, with a router function at home, so that the Internet as the outside infrastructure, or wireless mobile communication terminals can be connected to a home network. Such home gateway apparatuses are connected to the Internet continuously, and personal computers or peripheral devices at home are accessed via the Internet.
These technologies are provided by merging/combining Internet provider services, network technologies such as Ethernet®, Internet protocols (IP), and operating systems of personal computers.
However, when a home gateway apparatus has a continuous connection to the Internet, the apparatus needs to be turned on all the time to handle accesses from infrastructures outside of home, so that the apparatus is always operational. Therefore, there has been a problem of increasing power consumption.